The Shining: Danny Boy!

Stanley Kubrick wanted to make a horror movie because it was a proven vehicle for a popular hit at the box office. What he ended up creating was the first fully immersive horror film. A film that once it begins, is difficult for the audience to escape, whether they want to or not. The audience becomes part of the story even if only as observers. Viewers of the film become as defenseless as Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall): we can only sit, watch, and hope to escape the scenario that is unfolding.

Kubrick employed a form of psychological torture to get the results he wanted for the film. The cast & crew were subjected to insane amounts of retakes (the staircase / "Wendy, I'm gonna bash your brains in" scene set a Guinness World's Record for number of times a scene was shot), he deprived his actors of sleep, routinely insulted Shelley Duvall in front of everyone on set, and would regularly serve Jack Nicholson cheese sandwiches for lunch (which Nicholson hated). This approach while inhumane, created a perfect atmosphere of anger, nervousness, and despair. After all, this is a horror movie.

So, remember folks, when planning your next vacation, don’t forget the isolated solitude of The Overlook Hotel. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.". Happy Halloween!